The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-07
TALLAHASSEE.


It's Peculiar CMmass-CAs-aeser of the
People-Its Many BeAies-
Correspondence Of the Puiatka Nesux.
TALLAHASSEE, June 9.
Reader, have you ever been to ITALIA
hassee, have you seen its beautiful cloud
kissed hills, its many mansions. embow-
cred and stately oaks and queenly mag
nolias, its vine-clad cottages, its quaint
old buildings, its venerable churches, its
pretty arks and its queer cemetery, it
self a park of rare beauty holding the
dead of ages? If not, lose no time to
see it, and let your eyes feast on this
combination of lovely scenes.
1t was remarked in my hearing re-
Gently that Tallahassee is a place of
beauty, but that its ladies are fairer yet
eclipsing i'm beauty and lovliness the
brightest of any land. The sentiment so
aptly expressed my own mind that
gladly bear testimony to it. Go where
you may, you meet bevies Of pretty
girls; they are all pretty-the homely
ones (if any there be- are not seen.
Tallahassee seems to have climate
peculiarly its own. Situated, as it is, on
this extension of the Blue Ridge Noun
tains, and only twenty-five miles from
the Gulf, it is even now, on the first of
June, as cool and pleasant as day in
April. Cool, refreshing breezes are stir
ring the leaves and tree tops at all times,
and it is positively uncomfortable to
sleep without good covering at night.
1t is seldom you find i'm any place, of
course considering the size, its pOpula-
ton being about three thousand, so
many advantages, such pleasant sur
roundings. The society is the very best
and to persons of refinement there is no
difficulty in gaining admittance. The
absurd idea of BourbOnism reigning SUI
preme in society matters, is not true.
The same courtly etiquette that pre-
vailed in ante-bellum times and made
Southern society courts of royalty, rules
now in the old families, and the only key
to the hearts of these people is true gem
tility.
Hospitality at one time was almost sa-
cred and is now. as far as possible to be,
but it must not be forgotten that war,
with its terrible devastatiOns, laid waste
the fairest portions of Southland and
Tallahassee, though never suffering from
seige or the shock of contending armies,
hospitality yet lives. but the ability to
render it effective in many cases does
not now exist. Tallahassee has library
of about three thousand volumes, which
is to Ire added to every year, besides
papers and magazines of current litera-
ture. That it is well sustained YOU
would not doubt, We're you to see how
neatly it is kept. Among its souvenirs
is chair originally presented by Napo-
leon l. to Marshal Murat, King of Ma
pies, which descended to his son, Prince
Murat. After the death of the Murats,
at the sale of their effects, this chair was
purchased by ex-Gov. Bloxham; he, in
response to an appeal for aid of some
charitable institution, gave it to be raf-
fled. 1t brought fifty dollars, and was
drawn by the late Judge Westcott, who
presented it to the library. The chair
frame is finished entirely in gilt with a
seat of velvet, Is in fair state of pres
ervation, and was once quite pretty.
The headgear of an old Spanish armor
attracts considerable attention; it is a
ponderous piece of mechanism and you
would think, with the whole armor, the
unfortunate soldier who had to wear it,
be he ever so stalwart, would have a
heavy load A show case contains a
Spanish battle-axe found at old Fort
San Louis, several Indian stone hatchets,
arrow-heads, pieces of pottery and pet
rified bones, and other curious old relics
of dim past. a portrait of Prince
Murat, and other portraits of the gov
errors and distinguished men of this
State, adorn the walls. In the Episco-
pal cemetery l found two monuments,
with the following inscriptions. The
first one to the right in the little enclo-
sure, carved in the marble shaft, has
these words:
Departetfthis life
April Is, 1s41,
CHARLES LOUIS NAPOLEON ACHILLES MURAT,
Son of
The King of Naples
and
Caroline Nurat.
Aged AZ.
This monument is dedicated by his wife, Cath
airline, i'm perpetual memory of her love.
The other monument has this incrip-
on:
Sacred
TO the memory of
Princess G. A MURAT,
Widow of
Col. Charles Louis Napoleon Achilles Murat,
and Daughter of the late
Col. Bird C. Willis.
of Virginia,
Who departed this life on the 9Th OF August
1861, in the Saith year of her age. A kind
and affectionate wife and sister,
sincere and devoted friend.
None knew her but to love her.
None named her but TO praise.
This monument is erected to her memory by
her bereaved brothers and sisters.
The Capitol is a stately building, To-
Gated ON the highest ground in the city,
1t stands in the center of a park,
shaded by forest trees. The grounds are
tastefully laid off and beautified by or
namental shrubs and flowers One of
characters here is old Uncle Jim the gate
keeper, an old crippled colored man who
sits at the gate from morning till night,